TWO-FOLD
by SheenaBean
Summary: Anakin Skywalker ponders his relationship with both Padme Amidala and Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. Implied unfufilled slash/also Obidala relationship. Enjoy! *Palpatine's quotes lifted from Mattew Stover's novelization of REVENGE OF THE SITH*


"Two-Fold, Part 1"

Anakin lay in bed, restless and awake. Beside him the soft breathing of Padme's sound sleep kept him on edge. It was nonsensical. Things were changing so quickly. The tranquil moments which used to give him peace now pounded on his nerves.

Earlier that afternoon, his mentor Chancellor Palpatine has spoken something in passing which had wormed its way inside Anakin's mind and twisted there like a scythe in the wind. _Master Kenobi has been in contact with a certain Senator….very close contact….unseemly hour…a woman you know quite well…sometimes the closest are those who cannot see._

Conspiracies within the Senate, a Jedi plot, but even more insidious- the suggestion of an affair between Senator Amidala and Master Kenobi.

The fire of jealousy flared beneath Anakin's breastbone. He felt his stomach sink as deep and as sickening as if he was diving straight down a Dune Sea cliff on Tatooine in his old pod-racer. He had confronted Padmè – and she seemed innocently bewildered. Her words and her touch had calmed his anger – for a moment. But as he lay in bed this evening, the swelling of jealousy was unbearable.

Anakin swung out of the silvery sheets and moved out onto the verandah which overlooked an unbelievably vibrant Corsucant skyline. Even at this late hour, hundreds of car-pods and hovering vehicles darted in endless lines of traffic across the sky- some vertical, some horizontal. Anakin felt a warm tear fall on his arm as he braced the verandah railing with clenched fists. How should _she_? How could _he_? The mantra wouldn't stop going through his mind.

Anakin realized that the jealousy raging in his soul was two-fold. The idea that someone- _anyone_- would lay a hand on Padmè Amidala was first and foremost in his mind. Her soft lips, her enchanting goodness, her long, dark hair; these were things that only_ he_ was the rightful recipient of. She was his wife. She was his soul mate. She was everything good that seemed a mirror to him. The idea of losing her to someone else had never entered his thoughts. So to imagine her surrendering in passion into the arms of another lover was not only heart-wrenching, but truly shocking. He felt foolish to the core. She was a beauty – _of course_ other men would want to possess her.

But the real dagger was the suspected lover, Master Kenobi. To Anakin, he realized now how many years he had taken Obi-Wan's friendship for granted. It was more than friendship – it was a partnership deeper than brotherhood, it was the purest bond two people could ever have. Masters and Padawan's could almost be viewed as lovers themselves- two men, or women, deeply intertwined and dependent upon each other. Anakin has often thought of taking Obi-Wan in his arms as a youngster to fulfill his longing. He had dreamed of kissing his Master within secret alcoves of the Jedi Temple. Hadn't Obi-Wan shared kisses with his own master, Qui-Gon? Anakin used to ponder this too, and the constant adolescent dream of somehow seducing Obi-Wan from his steadfast monastic pledge never quite faded. To Anakin, the longing for the unattainable was a potent elixir. Anakin used to fantasize about little moments and innocent ways of seduction which never happened. Obi-Wan was too busy training and preparing for combat to dabble with ridiculous love play. Anakin knew of other Padawan's who told tales in the dormitory late at night about sharing sensual pleasures with their Masters. This was of course forbidden, but it happened nonetheless. The stories would unfold in lush detail amidst the hushed voices and wide-eyes of Padawan's like himself. Then, after the Padawan's would drift off to sleep, Anakin would lay awake, thinking of Obi-Wan and his obstinate chastity. Anakin was jealous then of their stories. He had the most handsome Master in the Jedi Temple! Anakin flushed at the thought of feeling the rough graze of Obi-Wan's blond-reddish beard as they kissed. He had _always_ wanted Obi-Wan, both physically and spiritually.

The laughter, the inside jokes, and all the blood and death-defying battles they had shared. If there was a feeling of jealousy, it was suddenly in Anakin's mind that no one besides himself should ever share anything as close with Obi-Wan as this. How dare Padmè! To insert herself like a common harlot between himself and Obi-Wan! To take away his dream of seduction and steal it for herself! The idea that Obi-Wan would even look at a woman with lust or even sultry attraction was ridiculous and out of character. What had she done?

Then, in his mind, Anakin saw the scene played out as if it was happening here before him. It was early morning, and Moteè, Padme's handmaiden, would be answering the door. Obi- Wan would be standing there, hands tucked within the folds of his Jedi robe.

"Is the Senator awake? I must speak with her- I'm afraid it's urgent."

Moteè would hurry to wake Padmè, and coming out into the early morning sunlight, she would stand before him, blushing with passion. She had probably taken one of her floral, silky robes to drape around her shoulders. Moteè would have been excused to increase their solitude. C-3PO would have been asked to leave as well. Obi-Wan would discard his Jedi robe and take Padmè in his arms, kissing her deeply. How long had Padmè secretly longed for this moment? Anakin wondered. Or, had she ever been with Obi-Wan before this?

Suddenly, Anakin reeled, almost staggering over the balcony's edge. His mind went back years to a moment after the battle on Naboo. After Qui-Gon's death, Obi-Wan had sought an audience with then Queen Amidala. Anakin remembered feeling left behind and overlooked. He had asked to join Obi-Wan, but Obi-Wan had wanted to see the Queen alone. He was gone the entire afternoon, locked away somewhere in the mighty royal palace of Naboo with Queen Amidala. What had they talked about then? Or had they talked at all? Could Padmè, even in her youth, has been charmed off her feet by the dashing young Jedi knight, like a school-girl flirts with an older man? Obi-Wan had been distraught and overwhelmed by Qui-Gon's death. Had he sought the solace of a young girl's arms? Had they made love to each other at that moment, sealing a secret pact of forbidden passion?

Anakin steadied himself, tried to shake the thoughts from his head. More moments and secret looks came to mind, however. Why had Padme been so adamant about rescuing Obi-Wan on Geonosis? They were parsecs away on Tatooine when Obi-Wan's cry for help had been received. Anakin was worried about his Master too, but only Padmè's initiative set them on a course for Geonosis. He gave her impassioned drive no more thought then than someone seeking to rescue a friend. But now he realized – _was it her lover, Obi-Wan, she was desperate to save?_

Anakin couldn't free himself of the thought that this was not a first time encounter. Perhaps this had been going on all along, behind his back! The idea that Obi-Wan could surrender to passion with someone like Padmè Amidala would make sense. She was pure of heart, Obi-Wan was pure of heart.

At least Anakin could give himself solace by knowing he had taken Padmè himself. He had become one with her countless times, entwined in passion. But he had never had Obi-Wan in the same way, despite all his longings and sultry night dreams throughout his adolescence. The idea that Padmè could seduce Obi-Wan and he could _not_ irked him. And why would Obi-Wan capitulate to Padmè's female charms- and even to Qui-Gon's rough masculinity- but not to Anakin's deep yet obvious affection? Didn't Obi-Wan love him more than anything, or anybody else? What had held Obi-Wan back all these years from consummating their unique relationship?

Anakin felt dizzy with anger.

An airborne traffic droid snapped Anakin from his dark thoughts as it darted closely overhead, zooming to patrol another area of Corsucant sky. Anakin stepped back from the verandah railing, breathing deeply in the Jedi fashion. His heart was pounding like a mad, racing, uncontrollable beast in his chest. Sleep would have to wait for another night.


End file.
